The proposed penalty for hip-drop tackles had a lot of support from teams coming into the league meetings on Monday and that support remained strong when the measure came up for a vote.
The NFL announced on Monday that he proposal was approved in a vote of team owners. The rule change calls for a 15-yard penalty during games for hip-drop tackles and players could also be fined by the league.
The NFL said that the injury rate on hip-drop tackles, which feature defensive players grabbing ballcarriers and then dragging them down while unweighting themselves by dropping their hips, result in 20-25 times more injuries than other kinds of tackles.
The NFL Players Association was opposed to the proposal to penalize the play and called it “a rule change that causes confusion” for players, coaches and others. Those people will have to adjust now that the rule is set to be enforced during the 2024 season.
